 Ballarat is an historic gold mining city of great elegance and charm. When you visit this city, you'll easily understand why the town was named Ballarat, an Aboriginal word meaning 'resting place'.
You'll be struck by its beauty and grandeur with its magnificent wide thoroughfare, stunning Victorian and Edwardian architecture, tree-lined avenues, and parks and gardens.
The tranquil Lake Wendouree and Botanical Gardens are stunning features as is the Arch of Victory leading into the Avenue of Honour. The avenue is lined with 4000 trees, a memorial to the people of the city who served in World War I.
Steeped in history of the gold rush era, Ballarat has a strong association with the Australian rebellion of the Eureka Stockade, one of the most famous events in the history of colonial Australia.
History buffs will love the Eureka Trail, a three and a half kilometre walk that retraces the route taken by the police and soldiers to the Eureka Stockade in 1854. Don't miss the excellent self-guided Heritage Walk which uncovers the history of the inner city's streets, buildings and sites.
To get a feeling of how life was in the gold rush days, visit Sovereign Hill where the stories of life in Ballarat during the gold mining heyday of the 1850s are told. Dusty streets, stage coaches, town folk in period costume and blacksmiths at work present a fascinating insight into how the early pioneers lived. Visitors can even pan for gold or go into underground mineshafts.
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